SOCAR Downstream starts pre-project assessment for modernization of Congo's only oil refinery

SOCAR Downstream, part of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), has been selected as the project management consultant (PMC) for the National Petroleum Company of the Republic of the Congo (SNPC), SOCAR Downstream Managing Director Emil Alkhasli said.

According to Report, this officially marks the start of the Pre-FEED stage - preliminary engineering and feasibility assessment - as part of the large-scale modernization of the CORAF refinery in the Republic of the Congo.

The project is being implemented in the context of strengthening partnership ties between SOCAR and SNPC, the owner of the CORAF refinery.

"Beyond the technical aspect, this cooperation has also become a way to build ties between Azerbaijan and Congo through understanding different cultures, finding common ground, identifying synergies and shared [interests]," Alkhasli emphasized.

On April 4, 2024, SOCAR and SNPC signed the "Heads of Terms Agreement on the Improvement and Expansion of the Congolaise de Raffinage Refinery" in Baku.

Under the agreement, SOCAR specialists are involved in assessing the refinery's current technical condition to identify key areas in which SNPC can be supported in upgrading its production facilities.

The CORAF refinery has a design capacity of 27,000 barrels of crude oil per day, while its current actual throughput is about 20,000 bpd, equivalent to less than 1 million tons annually. More than 50% of the petroleum products produced at the refinery are used to meet domestic demand in the Republic of the Congo.

The refinery is located in the coastal city of Pointe-Noire on the country's Atlantic coast. It has been operating since December 1982 and remains the only oil refinery in the country. The Republic of the Congo has been a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) since 2018, while its proven oil reserves are estimated at 1.8 billion barrels.

Since 2023, SOCAR Trading, the trading arm of the Azerbaijani state oil company, has been marketing crude oil and some petroleum products from the CORAF refinery on international markets.